Dear friends,
Children from Syrian minority groups live in fear.
In the small white courtyard of our school centre in Douella, in the suburbs of Damascus, Syria, the shouts, games and laughter are suddenly replaced by the children's solemn silence. Then, regardless of their religious beliefs, they sing a prayer punctuated by tears in memory of Angie, their 15-year-old classmate who was shot by two men in black who attacked her church. Then everyone returns to their place on the bench. Education continues.
© Mission Enfance - Syria
Half of Afghanistan's population lives below the poverty line.
When a woman in Afghanistan loses her husband, she faces immediate economic hardship, as she is not allowed to work. Setora's 12-year-old son has dropped out of school to become a parcel carrier on the streets of Kabul. He manages to support his brothers a little, but he is exhausted. The bags of food we leave for him allow him to regain his strength and return to school for a while. (click on the photo below to launch the video).
© Mission Enfance - Afghanistan
Three million displaced people in Burkina Faso.
Aminata ran with her parents, chased by motorcycles and terrifying gunfire. Abandoning all their belongings, they fled northern Burkina Faso to find refuge in the village of Faaga-Boulporé, in the centre of the country. The school extension built by Mission Enfance provides shelter for children displaced by the conflict, and our borehole supplies drinking water to the new inhabitants. Aminata and her family can now start their lives afresh.
© Mission Enfance - Burkina Faso
Resurgence of murders, kidnappings and extortion in Colombia.
‘The hardest thing today is that children as young as 8 are becoming violent,’ deplores Françoise, our coordinator in Colombia. At the entrance to our toy library in the Ciudad Bolivar slum in Bogota, our teams now have to search young children to make sure they are not hiding weapons... In our centres, listening, respecting others and learning to live in society are more necessary than ever to compensate for the economic and social deterioration of Colombian youth.
© Mission Enfance - Colombia
The exodus of 100,000 inhabitants from Artsakh to Armenia.
Two years ago, Siranouche looked sadly into the distance at the mountains of Artsakh, which she had been forced to abandon in the rush of the exodus. In northern Armenia, in Gyumri, where she took refuge with her family, her father received a welding machine from Mission Enfance. Since setting up his workshop, his business has been doing well. He has been able to rent a house and send his children to school. Siranouche is putting down roots in her new homeland.
Alleviating the hell these children endure.
In 2025, thanks to your support and the dedication of our local teams, we will have improved the lives of more than 100,000 children and their families across these countries, as well as in Laos, Lebanon, Iraqi Kurdistan, Ethiopia and Vietnam.
Building schools, drilling wells, providing emergency food or financial aid, supporting parents' entrepreneurial projects, running schools, toy libraries, educational centres, school sponsorships... each of our humanitarian actions positively transforms the hellish situation that children face. This allows them to turn a corner. Because, in order to comfort these innocent victims of conflict, we anchor them in a peaceful reality.
So, as Christmas approaches, join us in bringing them a little respite and hope. They need you so much, thank you!
I wish you a very happy Christmas!
Domitille Lagourgue
Director of Mission Enfance
© Mission Enfance - Ethiopia